Michael_hunt Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 hi guys. I love doing lx design and would like to do it to earn some extra £££. I would like to do lx designs for musicals and concerts in my local area and I have about £1,500 to spend either on a new laptop or some kit. Do you guys think that its worth buying my own kit or when events come around hire in? The kind of look I will be going for is rock n roll, so parcans and maybe scanners. If I buy I will be looking at ex rentles or ex demo as I want to save some £££. regards Michael. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 FWIW I'd say other than a few basics (say for instance 12x Par 64s) I really wouldn't buy too much - you've got to have somewhere to store it, maintain it if it breaks down (which moving lights will do at some point!), buy new lamps etc... Much eaiser to get someone to hire it out to you when you need it! Somewhere to store it is always a big issue - luckily I have a garage without a car to put in it (off street parking) so I can keep all my stock in there but you might not always be able to do this in your circumstances. Plus it's got to be secure, warm and dry, good access etc.But I still spend a good majority of my time tripping over my stock... Also for £1,500 your not going to get very many good scanners or moving lights, even 2nd hand / ex rental (where they could be trashed / ex demo. Best to do it on as needed basis. HTHStu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_hunt Posted April 28, 2006 Author Share Posted April 28, 2006 Cheers, I was looking at buying some really bad robo scans from work (theatre) which they hate because I dont mind if they stop working. As for moving heads, there to much hassel and I would be looking at a long term hire. cheers for the advice. :D and for storage, my gran lives in a huge house and only lives downstairs and im kind of using the second floor to store my stuff like surfboards so a few flight cases shouldnt be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niclights Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Does the market actually exist? Most venues will already have in-house or regular suppliers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marky Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 That's true, moving light hire has pretty much been sewn up! You could always save up and buy a media server eg, Catalyst of Hippotizer, if you find some clients, they can make big bucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 The trouble with investing in equipment is that you 'have' to use this in your designs - if you start with a clean sheet, then the designs are better. Fair enough, a dozen cans are useful (ish) but you still have to hire more - so why get too excited about owning them. I've done it myself, and the truth is I have so much gear that I don't use regularly enough and the hassle of storing it is more of a problem than the amount I spent on it. My regulalar clients act as free storage space now, very often I don't even take it out after a show! Buy the laptop - that's my advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Til Gran needs to move! Then you have kit and nowhere to keep it. Til then you have heavy kit to take upstairs after each gig.Buy ONLY what you will need every time hire the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niclights Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Here's an idea. You could buy some LED stuff - eg. Chromapanels & controller. These are extremely lightweight, small and require little or no maintainance (ie. bulbs!) are relatively rare and very versatile. They won't actually light people/things up, but they are something you could find a market for (ie. different!) and could afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thcousins Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 1. Buy the laptop.2. Open Excel3. Workout your fee, design invoice, sexy website etc...4. Search google for your local suppliers and the kit you need to hire. 5. Add 20% to this hire - as 'your' arangement fee.6. Find your customer (this is normally the hard bit!)7. Earn dosh! PS. If you 'work' for a venue which already has kit, then they are fairly likely to lend it to you (esp the oder stuff) - for a small fee! You just add 20% to this fee and charge your customer - my staff do this all the time. Just make sure you are covered insurance wise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 The skill in business is to get the work in, regularly and repeatedly! There is so much kit waiting to be hired out that you could possibly get a discount, and take a commission if you can get good work in well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Buy the Laptop. Use this to research your competitors and to right a business plan to see if it's worth while buying the kit etc. Meet the local kit hire companies. I know that if you came to me as a freelancer and said you had work you needed my kit for, then there'd be a conversation about whether you'd get a discount of the kit that the client couldn't get or whether there'd be a 'finders fee' arrangement. Not all do this, but to my mind it's in everyones interest, as all parties stand to win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_hunt Posted May 1, 2006 Author Share Posted May 1, 2006 Cheers for all the advice, im going to buy the laptop and look for customers. thanks :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellis Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 One vote against hiring kit in: If my recent experience is anything to go by, modern lanterns are nowhere near as robust as earlier models. After a few months of abuse on the road, you can guarantee that if you hire kit (even from major suppliers), you can rest assured that a vital piece of kit will turn out to be faulty when you come to rig in tight timescales while the hire company is closed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Lawrance Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 The way I was taught whether to hire or buy was to work out how many times I could hire it for the same price as I could buy it. Then think about if I would use it more or less times. If you would use it more, buy it (and make money on it) if you use it less, hire it (and save money on it) The example I was given was an SM58. To buy they are around £70. I can hire one from the local hire shop for £5. Therefore it takes 14 hires for the shop to make their money back on it. I use SM58's (about 5 of them) near enough every week. So I bought a load to save the money on hireing them every time. Everyone has differant ways to determin this, but it works well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 Pretty much what every company does. Some work it out over 70 hires, some far less. If your hiring the same kit week in week out then look into buying. Also search around for where to buy. For some stuff you might be able to buy direct from the manufacturer/importer rather than through a dealer who will add their mark-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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